Battery container



Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

' UNITED STATES BUII'US 11H-mmm, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNOB T0 GOULD STORAGE BAT- TEBY COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BATTERY CONTAINER.

Application led September 15, 1921. Serial No. 500,918.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, RUFUs N. Grumman- LAIN, a citizen of the United States, reslding at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Battery Contalners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to battery containers and method of making the same.

An object of my invention is such an article which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is inert to the electrolyte of the battery.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art,- and my invention will be better understood by reading the followingr description, taken in connectlon with the accompanying drawing forming a art thereof and which illustrates an artic e made in accordance with the method hereinafter described.

The container may be of any desired shape and made of an desired kind and weight of material. T e container shown is made of wood and has side portions 1, 2, and 3, and a bottom 4 joined together in any suitable manner. A

After the container is constructed to the required dimensions and with the desired material, I subject the same to the following treatment in order to render it inert to the storage battery electrolyte. The Acontainer is placed in a chamber and subjected to a vacuum for a suitable period of time, usually in the neighborhood of three hours. This tends to remove the gases and contained air from the pores of the wood so that it will be more receptive to the next step. After the requiredperiod in the vacuum chamber, a vulcanizable rubber solution is run into the vacuum chamber until the articles are submerged. The vacuum is then released and the articles remain in the solution for a suitable period of time, usually aboutl 18 hours. The object of this treatment is to completely permeate the interior structure of the wood with the solution. If this treatment has not been sufficient to properly permeate or saturate the wood, pressure may be applied to the chamber for the purpose of forcing the solution into the wood. If pressure is aplied, it is usually applied at about 50 poun s or over per lsquare inch.

The vulcanizable mix ordinarily consists of about 30 per cent sulphur and 70 per cent rubber. The solution which I employ in the treatment given above is composed of 20 per cent of the mix above described, dissolved in a solvent of either preferably naphtha or benzol, which solvent constitutes about 80 per cent of the solution.

After the container has been treated by the above `process and with the solution above described, the interior structure of the wood is completely coated and the pores filled up with the vulcanizable mix which has been carried into the interior of the wood and dfposited there when the solvent is driven o After the wood is saturated-with the mix, the mix may be vulcanized in place on the fibers of the wood by the application of heat so that the wood structure is strengthened by the vulcanized rubber and its pores completely closed so that the same is liquid tight.

By the use of the process and materials above described, a containeris secured which has many advantages, among which may be mentioned that the container is much stronger mechanicall than the wood before treatment; it is ren eredcompletely liquid tight; the fibers are protected fromthe action o f the acid, as they are all encased in an acid-inert material; an inexpensive article is produced, since it does not require a lining or the provision of other means for protecting the container from the action of the acid. j

I have described one process and larticle produced thereby, but desire'it to be understood that I am not to be limited to the ex'- act details described, as variations may be made in the various parts of the process without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim: t

1. A container for storage batteries composed of Wood 'having its pores completely filled and its bers encased in a hardened rubber compound, substantially as described.

2.A container for storage batteries composed of a porous brous non-acid resistant material having its surface liber structure encased ,in a rubber compound, substantially as described.

3. A storage battery container composed of a porous fibrous material having its interior structure completel encased in vulcanf ized rubber, substantial y as described.

4. A- storage battery container composed of wood and having its vpores comp etely filled and its bers encased in a rubber compound, substantially as described.

filled and its bersencased in v'ulcanized rubber, substantially a's described.

6. A container for stora 'e batteries composed of wood havin its bers completely encased in vulcanize rubber, substantially as described. y

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RUFUS N. CHAMBERLAIN. 

